Lathe attachment



Nov. 4, 1952 c, MANNlNG 2,616,338

LATHE ATTACHMENT Filed May 23, 1950 INVENTOR. Cmw/ms'r P /7/mw//m Patented Nov. 4, 1952 UNI TED STATES PATENT OF F'IC'E I LATHE ATTACHMENT 'Chauncey' P. Man-ning, Hartford, Conn., assignor .to'The WaltonCompany, West Hartford, Conn., a corporation .o'ftConnecticut Application May 23, 1950, SerialNo. 163,677

This invention relates to a lathe attachment and more particularly to an attachment for mounting a tool, such asan electric drill or the like, upon the cross slide of the lathe.

An object of the'invention isto provide an attachment which may be readily attached to the cross slide of a lathe by the use of the conventional tool post T-slot therein. i

A further object of this invention is theprovision of an attachment which will firmly support an electric drill, or the like, in a lathe.

-A still further object is the provision'of an attachment which may be readily adjusted for positioning the electric drill, or other tool mounted thereby, with relation to a piece of work being operated upon or held in the lathe- Further objects and advantages ofthe invention will be more clearly understood from the following description and the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view, with a part thereof broken away, of a lathe attachment embodying the present invention.

"Fig. 2 is a side view thereof in vertical section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. V

Fig. 3 is.a reduced plan view. illustrating the use of the said attachment and the manner in which it is mounted upon the lathe.

' .iFig.l4 isaside view thereof.

'iFig.'5. is a rear view of the attachment, -as=.illustrated in Fig. 2, with parts thereof broken away.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings, my improved lathe attachment comprises a base member 5 which preferably has a foot portion 6 and a bearing portion 1 that extends upwardly on the foot portion and has a bearing opening 8, extending crosswise therethrough, and wall portions 99 which are separated at I and provided with spaced ears I Il l. A clamping screw I2 extends through an opening in one of said ears and is threaded to the other ear.

A supporting arm [3 is pivotally mounted upon the said base by means of a hub portion [4 which extends laterally from the said arm and fits snugly within the opening 8. The said arm is provided with a tool receiving portion l which is preferably V-shaped to accommodate tools of different sizes that are to be secured to the portion I5 by means of a strap 16 and headed studs I1. These studs are adapted to be received in spaced openings l8 in the strap to thereby permit the strap to be secured to the portion in different positions so as to accommodate tools of different sizes. The said strap is provided with a 3 Claims. (Cl. 90-11) fastening screw H] which is' insertable'into an openpslot 20, in a projection 2| on the portion [5, and; a suitable nut 22 is threaded to said screw for drawing the strap to tighten it againstthe tool and thereby secure the tool firmly in position within the portion l5, as indicated by dotted lines'23 inFig. 2.

The basemember is provided with 'a securing bolt 24 which extends throughthe'footportion 6 and has a head '25 thereon. The said head'portion is rectangular in shape and maybe turned in order to accommodate T-slots of difierent sizes.

My improved attachment may be "readily attached to the lathe by merely insertingthe said head 25 into the conventional T-slot'26in thecross slide 2'! of the lathe and tighteningthe nut 28 on thebolt 24 so as to firmly secure the base member with the foot portion fi'resting upon the top surface of the 'cross slide as clearlyillustrated in Fig. 4.

It will be observed from an inspection'of Figs. 1, 3. and 5 of the drawings that the relative positions ofLthe componentparts of the present invention are'highly significant. The, position of. the sup porting arm [3 abutting" the end ofthe upright portion'l permits ready separation of the parts for.c1eaning or the'like. At the same'time'the lateral projection of the V-shape'd receiving portion [5 in the same direction asthe hub l lipro vides for a balanced'arrangement of the component parts. To further carry out this balanced arrangement the flexible band I6 is substantially at the transverse center line of the trough I5. This balanced arrangement of parts is not particularly important in general supporting devices but is highly significant in designing an attachment for supporting lathe tools. Chatter or vibration of the tool and holder is one of the more difficult problems in lathe design and applicants balanced arrangement of parts cuts vibration or chatter to the minimum. The flexible band I6, receiving portion l5 and base member 5 all have their geometric centers aligned in a single plane normal to the axis of a tool clamped in the receiving portion.

As illustrated in Fig. 3, my improved attachment may be used for upporting an electric drill, indicated at 29, in position to perform various types of operations on a piece of work, indicated at 39, which is mounted in the chuck of the lathe. In Fig. 3, I have illustrated the manner in which a flat may be ground on the work piece 30 by simply operating the cross slide in a transverse direction to permit the grinding wheel 30-11,

secured in the drill, to form the flat 30-12 on the piece 30. In this position, the electric drill may also be used for drilling the work piece 30 longitudinally. An off-center hole may be drilled in the work piece by merely swinging the arm l3 in the proper direction to locate the drill at the desired distance from the center of the work. If it is desired to mill a slot longitudinally of the work piece, the base 5 is turned 90 to thereby bring the axis of the drill 29 perpendicular to the axis of the work piece 30. Proper operation of the compound rest of the lathe will cause movement of the milling tool in the drill along the surface of the work piece and longitudinally thereto.

It will be noted that the said electric drill, or any other tool which is supported by my improved attachment, may be positioned exactly as desired by merely swinging the arm 13 and then tightening the clamping screw l2 to clamp the hub M in the upright portion '1 and thereby secure the arm in adjusted position. The tool may also be positioned at any desired angle with relation to the work by turning the supporting member around the bolt 24 and clamping it upon the surface of the cross slide 27 by means of the nut 28.

My improved attachment has been found highly desirable for mounting electric drills, grinders and the like in lathes and supporting them in any desired position with relation to the Work for performing a desired operation.

I claim:

1. A lathe attachment comprising a base member having a foot portion, an upright portion with an opening extending horizontally therethrough, a supporting arm abutting one end of said upright portion, a hub on said supporting arm extending into and rotatably fitting within said opening, means on said upright portion for clamping said hub against rotation to retain the arm in adjusted position, a V-shaped receiving portion extending laterally from said arm in the same direction as and parallel to said hub, said receiving portion being of a length substantially equal to the Width of said base member, a flexible strap adjustably secured tosaid receiving portion substantially at the transverse axial center thereof to encircle and clamp a tool to the receiving portion, and means receivable within a. slot in a lathe cross slide for securing the base member in difierent adjusted positions thereon.

2. A lathe attachment comprising a base member having an upright portion, a holder including an arm having a hub portion projecting laterally of one end thereof and rotatably fitting within an opening extending horizontally in said upright portion, means for clamping said hub portion in the upright portion for adjustment of the arm in a plane normal to the longitudinal axis of the hub, fastening mean receivable in a slot for adjustably securing said attachment, a V-shaped receiving portion laterally projecting from the outer end of the arm and in the same direction as said hub for receiving therein a tool Which is to be supported by said attachment, said V-shaped receiving portion, hub and the upright portion of said base member having their geometric centers in a single plane normal to the longitudinal axis of the tool mounted in said receiving portion to effect a balanced arrangement of the elements of said attachment, and adjustable means for clamping said tool in said receiving portion.

3. A lathe attachment comprising a base member having a foot portion, a supporting portion projecting upwardly from the said foot portion, the said supporting portion having an opening extending therethrough on a horizontal axis, a supporting arm abutting one end of said supporting portion, a hub portion projecting laterally from the side of said supporting arm which abuts said supporting portion and rotatably fitting Within said opening, clamping means on the supporting portion for clamping said hub portion to adjustably position the supporting arm, a V-shaped receiving portion projecting laterally from the supporting arm in the same direction as and parallel to the hub portion, clamping means for securing a tool member in said receiving portion, and means for attaching said base member to the cross slide of a lathe.

CHAUNCEY P. MANNING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,352,708 Waegel Sept. 14, 1920 1,517,101 Borger Nov. 25, 1924 1,887,547 Cushman Nov. 15, 1932 

